Out of the Darkness
by plumecrit
Summary: Within the confines of the Imperial Palace there is a door nobody has ever opened... Anakin wins on Mustafar, but victory comes only years later.


**Hello everyone! **

**This is my first venture into the realm of Star Wars. I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I look forward to your opinon, ideas and feedback.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine, obviously. I am just borrowing the characters...**

* * *

For a short moment Obi-wan played with the idea to follow Padmé. He was hurting, he was confused, his mind still tried to deny the thing he had seen while watching the holo-pads. Clones led by his former Padawan shooting at his brethren, innocent younglings caught in the cross-fire, Anakin's crazed laughter, as he tapped into the Dark Force. His old apprentice had just laughed as he participated in the slaughter of the Jedi Order.

_Really?_ Asked the Force.

Obi-wan closed his eyes. The scene played again behind his eye-lids. His Padawan's descend into the darkness was tearing his soul apart, was that what Qui-Gon had felt? When had he failed, why had he failed?

_Look._ Whispered the Force.

The Clones did not shoot deliberately at the initiates. It was the myriad of deflected blaster shots that was felling the younglings. Again he heard Anakin's insane laughter as he parried a blaster shot that would have killed a tiny Mon Calamari girl. His old Padawan had not wanted the initiates to die. In his eyes it must have looked like the Order decimated its own future.

A sob tried to escape Obi-wan's throat. That doesn't make him less guilty, he silently told the Force. It did not answer, but wrapped comfortingly around his shoulders. He had to do his duty. He did not want to.

_Then don't._

* * *

Within the confines of the Imperial Palace there is a cell, nobody is allowed to enter. Neither storm troopers nor droids have ever opened the heavily locked door. People sometimes whisper behind the back of their hands that the creature held behind the cold durasteel walls was one of the most dangerous entities within the whole Galaxy, waiting to be tamed by their beloved Emperor. Other rumors spoke of a prisoner, one of the treacherous Jedi that had yet to be broken. There are many myths ranking around this door. Neither of them is true, neither of them is false.

* * *

Obi-wan reached out and felt the anguish of his old apprentice. A second even darker presence entered the orbit. How did he miss this? A tremor went through the ground as the ship of the Sith Lord did land.

* * *

The corridor leading to the cell is almost always empty. There is a certain aura of darkness and despair around this part of the Imperial Palace's lower levels. People shiver, when they pass. Something they cannot name weighs heavily on mind and soul.

At first the inhabitants of the Palace had been curious, but nothing ever changed as the years passed. The door remained closed, this door that has neither a lock nor a code to open it. If anybody would have gotten a glance behind the door, he or she would have starred into never-ending darkness; no light ever graced this cursed room.

As the time passed the stories around the cell and the being hold within became more and more fantastic, told during evenings or long night shifts. Nobody could imagine the lower level without the cell and the never solved mystery. In its way it became an invisible part of the Imperial Palace, a place that did exist without having its existence questioned.

This all changes as two toddlers, a small girl and a boy decide to escape their governess and to explore the lower levels. Something calls the children to this door. Contrarily to other people they there do not fear the suppressing feeling that surrounds the cell. They have only eyes for the dark sparks and flames that dance around the door frame.

Both feel a strange connection to this energy. Wordlessly the children look at each other and the boy sees the mischievous glint in his sister's brown eyes. He hesitates shortly, but finally he smiles slyly and gives the flames a nudge. His sister joins enthusiastically. They both push into the Force and suddenly the door moves. Their faces mirror their concentration. Small sweat pearls run down their cheeks. They push more, tapping into their reserves and the crack that opened become large enough. Both children giggle in delight as they crawl through it into the darkness. Happy but exhausted they lose the control over the darkish flames. Before their eyes can adapt to the lack of light the door closes and darkness engulfs the children.

Happiness changes into fear. There is nothing there, just darkness and a nothing, no light, no sound. The children's breath quickens. The girl whimpers softly. Her brother bites silently his lip and shivers involuntarily. Then they feel this dim, subdued spark in the Force. Tears run down their cheeks as it comes closer and engulfes the children.

It feels right. It feels warm and different to what they are used to. Their father's Force signature is darker. This presence is lighter, gentler, still loving, comforting. They trust this being. Both want to touch it, to be sure that they do not imagine the small spark. Their small hands find the rough fabric of trousers and the hem of a robe. Both wonder and reach unconsciously out to the bond they share. A shudder runs through their bodies and minds. The bond seems so distant. For the first time in their short live they cannot feel the comforting presence of each other.

The boy tries to reach out, his sister mimics his efforts. But something rebuffs them violently again. They start trembling, shaking even. The spark comes closer. Two strong arms hugg and hold them close.

"Stop fighting", whispers a raspy voice.

The children do not understand. How can the spark not realize that they are losing each other in the darkness? They have to try again, they have to try harder.

Stop fighting sings the being's Force.

Stop fighting.

Only after some time as they become weaker they lessen their mental grip and their bond disappears into the darkness.

"Hush", says the voice again.

They are tired, so tired. Weak sobs shake the children's bodies. Now, after they have stopped the fight they feel empty but better. It is not so cold anymore. Exhaustion overtakes them as the being carries them across the room and gently lays them onto something that was softer than the durasteel floor. The being's hand reaches out for the small hand of the girl and leads it into the hand of the boy. The children grab each other's hand, while two huge hands cover theirs. The being is humming softly. They both recognize the tune. It is an old lullaby their father sometimes sings.

Sleep comes slowly. They cuddle into the embrace of the being.

"Your father will find you soon", whispers a voice in the Force reassuringly.

* * *

The Jedi Master felt the darkness of his old Padawan. Currently it was wrapped protectively around two, no three entities engulfing them carefully, shielding them gently from the harsh atmosphere of Mustafar. Obi-Wan closed his eyes. Anakin had always been a being of passion. He loved deeply and once you had gained his loyalty, he would do anything in his power to protect those he considered as his own.

The decision that had seemed so difficult just seconds ago was easy now. He would not fight his Padawan; he would not fight his brother. Another dark presence rippled through the orbit of the forsaken planet. Other than Anakin's signature this one screamed of hate and malignance. Obi-wan suppressed a shudder. Darth Sidious had arrived. The Jedi shielded himself. If the Sith Lord felt his presence, the situation would only escalate further. He hoped for Padmé and his old Padawan's sake that this monster was more interested in exploring the possibility of having two small beings so strong in the Force at his disposal than to lash out against the very thing it despised: love. Through his shields he felt the Force nudging him to leave the confines of the ship. Carefully he led himself guide.

* * *

The prisoner looks at the dark spot, where he knows his bunk is located. He listens to the soft breathing of the two younglings. For the first time in, well he has no feeling for time, but it must have been years, he feels oddly content. A part of his someone very dear to him survived in the children. They are strong in the Force. They get that from their father he guesses. Interestingly he notes absently this does not disturb him. He does not feel anger or hate, just the guilt that will probably never leave him.

A tiny selfish part in a forgotten corner of his mind, would like to keep them near. Since this fateful day he has not seen anything but darkness- quite literally. But alas, he can already feel the cell's Force suppression and depletion mechanisms kicking in, adjusting to the new-comers. They are so small. When he first woke in his cell, it felt like drowning and suffocating. It had taken some time until he was able to adjust, comprehension of what this cruel dark tomb of this blasted Sith was, came much later. And now, despite this all, he will reach out to him. The prisoner shudders involuntary. Nevertheless he closes his eyes and concentrates. It takes a while, but time is -except for the darkness- the only thing he has in abundance. He furrows he brows, there, barely noticeable he can see the threads of their old bond. They are heavily distorted, mauled, torn but they still exist. He holds onto a small twine and calls out. Nothingness answers him.

* * *

Parasecs away the Emperor looks up from the holo-map he is studying.

"Did someone call me?", he asks his trembling commander, who shakes vigorously his head.

The Emperor closes his eyes briefly. He is sure, that he did not imagine it. Could it be that…he shakes his head at the thought but does still reach out into the Force. There is nothing, he closes his eyes again and taps into the bond he shares with his prisoner, who is unaware of this connection. As usual he does only get impressions, exhaustion, desperation, really nothing new. It has been years that his prisoner has thought in words. Just before he wants to close of the connection he catches the hint of a content smile, quite unusual, but not alarming per se.

* * *

He felt the panic of his old padawan. Obi-wan sensed a small ripple through the Force. Behind the rock he was hiding he could clearly see Padmé's distorted face. Well, he thought sardonically, the younglings couldn't have chosen a better time to come into the world.

The Jedi Master observed Anakin who was ignoring the landing of his new Master in his anxiety. Obi-wan wanted to reach out, wanted to warn his old disciple, but deep inside he knew that it was too late. He sensed the worry and love, as well as the dark possessiveness Anakin broadcasted.

"Shield, by the Force shield Anakin", he whispered feverishly.

Anakin looked up as if he heard him, but he did not turn to Obi-wan but to the dark presence coming nearer. He gently led go of Padmé and faced the Sith.

* * *

They sleep quite long. The prisoner is just dozing, sleeping lightly, waiting for the younglings to wake. The small flap, he gets his meals from shatters twice. He isn't hungry and stores the food for later on, while giving back the empty plate. He knows better than leaving anything on it. During his first days he had entertained thought to just waste away, his warden had not approved of the idea, not at all. The prisoner had learnt his lesson rather quickly.

The younglings start to stir. Their transition from the land of dreams into the darkness is slowly, but they have time. There is plenty of it. The girl opens hesitantly her eyes. It's dark. What happened? Confused she reaches out the bond she shares with her brother. There is nothing. She can feel his hand, but his bright Force signature is not there.

She panics.

The boy does also start moving. He senses the anxiety of his sister. He whimpers. Two strong arms hug them close. The crying children feel the warmth of the being; they cuddle into the prisoner's body. Slowly their sobs subside.

After a while a strange sound breaks the silence. The prisoner laughs at their grumbling stomachs and tell them to eat. They devour eagerly the tasteless food, never letting go of each other's hands.

He smiles gently an invisibly into the cell's darkness and takes a crumb of the bread that is left over. His hands touch it with feather-light movements. It is not a round crumb, the bread is stale and he is able to feel certain edges.

"It seems I have an asteroid in my hands", he murmurs.

The children's heads snap into the direction of his voice's sound.

"Here", he carefully gives the crumb to the boy, "doesn't it feel like an asteroid?", he asks.

The youngling furrows his brows und huffs. But still he starts to trace the crumbs surface. It is not round or soft, but spiky and triangular-like.

"That is never an asteroid", he contradicts.

"Really?"

"Yes, it feels more like an N1- starfighter", the boy answers.

His sister is quite impatient now. After a short while it's finally her turn to study the crumb. She takes her time.

Finally she seems to be sure and announces: "You are both wrong, it's a sapflower."

The prisoner sighs silently. Asteroid, N1-starfighter and sapflower, it seems as the Force or the Fates are laughing into his face. He starts to remember memories that have stayed buried for years. It takes a short time, but then the children listen entranced the story of a young boy, who had nearly single-handedly destroyed a droid space ship.

* * *

Obi-wan heard the cackling Sith Lord, who seemed to be amused about Anakin. His old Padawan ushered Padmé behind his back to protect her. The Jedi Master felt again this anxiety and uncertainty in the Force that had accompanied Anakin for months. And now, while crouching behind this damned rock on this forsaken planet, he understood for the first time, what had seduced his Padawan to the Dark.

Fear rang through the Force. Fear for the unborn child, fear for Padmé and an iron determination to do anything to keep the little family save. Anything. Obi-wan realized with some detachment that the Jedi had failed Anakin first. He had failed. The dreams, the visions that came again and again plaguing the other man, Anakin had thought himself to be alone. His Padawan had not trusted him enough to confide.

For a moment The Jedi Master was lost in the screaming Force. Suddenly the air shifted. The Sith's posture became demanding_. Never enough for the dark it is, only to destroy, seek to destroy it does_, seemed to whisper a Master Yoda's voice from a time and a memory long forgotten. Obi-wan's muscles tensed, he anticipated an attack of the Sith, anything.

But instead of lighting his weapon, Sidious chuckled malevolently. "Kill the senator", he ordered in a gentle, deathly voice.

* * *

The boy slumps against his sister after another round of hide and seek in the dark- the prisoner never thought that there are so many possible hideouts in his cell. He stops in his thoughts as he feels the children using him as a big pillow. They tired quickly. It has been a while that he has looked after such small younglings but he cannot help his feelings of worry.

Maybe they are just adapting to the cell. Hopefully their absence is discovered soon. In a dark corner of his mind a voice tells him, that this would also mean, that he is going to be alone again, that he should be happy to have finally some sort of humanoid contact. He squashes the thought.

After some moments he feels the children shifting. A small hand- the girl's- tucks his sleeve.

"What species are you?", she asks. He chuckles.

That is an interesting question indeed. Did he transform into something else during his time down here- ah his old acquaintance and loyal friend insanity says hello again.

"The last time I checked- human."

The children whisper between each other and the prisoner pretends not to hear their heated discussion about this revelation.

"I don't understand", retorts the boy aloud, "everybody says he is dangerous, but he isn't. The governess said there is a beast here, but he does not look like a krayt dragon!" "

Well, maybe because it is dark", the girl remarks precociously.

"Well, he does feel human." This time the sister does not contradict her brother.

After a while she tucks again the prisoner's sleeve. "The governess is stupid", she explains in a consoling manner.

The prisoner cracks an invisible grin. The boy doesn't seem to be convinced yet. "Are you dangerous?", he finally asks.

"I would never harm you", the prisoner's voice is laden with emotion, "but for everyone else it might be better to leave me here."

They start to hug him after the first sentence and choose to ignore the second part. The prisoner stiffens at first, before he gives into the warm embrace of these small younglings.

After a short break they continue- upon the boy's insistence who has lost the last round- to play hide and seek. And then suddenly, when it's his turn, the prisoner cannot hear them anymore. He stands in the middle of his cells and hears neither the unsuccessful giggles that escape the girl when he is close to finding her, nor the quickening breath of the boy. Panic floods his mind. He goes onto his knees and is close to giving into the storm of fear. He closes his eyes, an old habit that hasn't even died in the darkness, to calm himself. He listens.

There! There! He would have laughed of relief, if he hadn't recognized the regular, calm breaths as his sleeping charges. After some searching- the girl somehow managed, the crouch into the small crack between loo and sink- he collects them and gently beds them onto his bunk, before tucking them in. He reaches out for their Force. His suspicion is confirmed. The Force signature seems dimmed. They tired too quickly. They are too young to adapt, to small.

Time flies as he guards them, sleeping light, dozing only for short intervals. They do not wake up. He tries to reign in his fear. He meditates. Time passes but no one comes for the children. The prisoner braces himself and reaches into his mind, where he traces the strands of his old broken bond. He calls out with vigor into the nothingness. There is no answer as exhaustion finally claims him and the defense mechanisms of the cell kick in. He slumps back against the wall and then…nothingness.

* * *

The Emperor sighs. The prisoner fights him again in such a short amount of time. He hasn't done this in years. Maybe he should check the security when he is back in Coruscant. The prisoner has called out- but to whom? By now he should know, that no one but the Emperor can hear him.

"What is bothering you old friend?", he sends back.

"Stop fighting." Nothingness, no answer. He feels again his prisoner's unusual exhaustion, properly due to his use of the Force.

* * *

Obi-wan felt Darth Sidious' glee. He broadcasted so clearly that the Jedi Master thought for a moment that he was in Dark Lords mind.

The Sith anticipated two outcomes: either Anakin would heed his command or he would fight him, loose and watch him, Sidious killing his wife. Either way, the senator would be dead soon and the grief would send his unwilling apprentice over the edge. The Sith cackled in delight, while Obi-wan was fighting his nausea. And then, for the first time in his entire life, Anakin did not charge forward. No, his Padawan took a defensive stance and told Padmé to run to the ship and take off.

For short moment neither of them moved. Suddenly the Sith attacked, but it was not Anakin, he aimed for. Blue electric lightings cracked through the air and found Padmé. Her screams woke Anakin from his stupor. As Obi-wan hastened to the woman, whom he called a dear friend and confidant, while his old Padawan started attacking the Sith viciously. Sidious started to retreat under the onslaught of Anakin's move, letting go of Padmé.

* * *

The prisoner opens his eyes slowly. Small tremors are shaking his body. He stares into the black emptiness of his cell. But it is not empty anymore he corrects himself. Next to him are two small bodies curled against his. He sighs in an odd content way. He feels their warmth. He listens to their small regular breaths. His lids close involuntarily, he slips into the embrace of Morpheus once again.

He wakes slowly as somebody is pulling his sleeve. The prisoner takes his time to respond, for the first time in months he has slept well without nightmares. The pulling turns into a frantic shaking. He starts to move gently and wraps his arms around the girl who started climbing onto his chest.

"I am fine", he answers her unasked question.

The girl leans into the embrace and the boy cuddles into his side. They breathe together into the darkness for quite a while.

"I am Leia", the girl breaks the silence.

"And I am Luke", mumbles the boy after hesitating for a short moment.

He then quickly loses his reluctance and starts climbing the prisoner as well. He settles comfortably next to his sister. The prisoner chuckles silently.

"Actually", the girl, Leia, starts, "what is your name?", finishes Luke her question.

The prisoner does not register the content of the question first. He marvels how resilient those two are. Even without their bond through the Force, there is something connecting them. They are powerful, even while their Force is suppressed he can feel their Force signature tickling his skin. He imagines that they have their father's curious eyes and their mother's inquisitive look.

"What is your name? Who are you?", they ask him again.

Now he registers their actual question. He opens his mouth to answer and closes it again. Who is he? He does not know what to say. How should he answer? It is too much. It has been months, no years since he last heard voices. It has been years that someone talked to him. A corner of his mind supplies him with a name, but somehow he feels disconnected. This man is dead. It hurts. It hurts so much.

"Who am I? ", he screams into the Force.

* * *

The Emperor stops walking. He hears a distinct echo of his prisoner's question. Can it be that all the waiting paid out? Can it be that the prisoner is finally cracking? The man hasn't communicated with words in years. This is highly unusual. He has not received any thoughts via their connection in months. What is happening during his absence from Coruscant?

* * *

The children back away from the prisoner who projects his confusion and hurt into the Force. They huddle into a corner at the other side of the bed. The prisoner reflexively reaches out for this light presence that is bringing more and more distance between them. Then he feels it. Confusion. Fear. Why does it fear him? He needs it, he…he stops moving. His breath is ragged. Slowly he comes to his senses again.

"I am sorry", he whispers brokenly into the darkness. "It is just", he stops and senses the anticipation of his two young charges, "I don't know it anymore. I don't know, who I am", his voice cracks.

He keeps his distance und listens to their whispering. Then cloths rustle and four small feet move towards him. One pair of arms wrap around his legs. More movement, a silent "Ouch, be careful", is whispered, and a body falls against his chest. The girl giggles triumphantly and wraps her arms around his waist. He reflexively holds her and puts of some strain from her brother, whom she has used as ladder. A silent tear runs down his cheek. The girl brushes it away.

"We are going to ask father", she tries to console him.

"He does know everything", Luke adds with some afterthought.

"And if he doesn't, we are going to find a name for you", Leia says.

Both nod simultaneously. He should not need this. He should be the one, they can lean into and not the other way around, but frankly the prisoner does not care. It feels good. It feels save. And he is going to protect them; he is going to get them out of this hell hole not matter what.

* * *

Obi-wan rushed to Padmé side. He knelt down, frantically reaching out to the Force, looking for her presence. There, he felt her spark, but it was diminishing, together with one, no two others. Her child, no her children, his mind supplied. Padmé opened slowly her eyes. Confusion and love greeted him.

"I am tired Obi-wan", she whispered- such simple sentence that said so much.

He brushed gently her hair aside as he started to call upon the Force to stabilize her. With a strength he didn't know she possessed she grabbed his arm.

"The children first", she panted under the pressure of another contraction.

He nodded and reached out for the two tiny flames he had felt in the Force. He gently nudged some of the healing power towards them. His calloused hand steadied Padmé frail body.

"They are going to be fine", he told her reassuringly. Padmé smiled and closed her eyes.

"No, no, Padmé, stay with me", he prompted her. He felt her slipping away. "They need you Padmé, Anakin needs you", he ranted franticly.

Another contraction. Obi-wan looked up and saw his old Padawan fighting the Sith. With an alarming clarity he felt that Anakin could not win this fight, not alone. He poured more of the Force into Padmé body. After two unsuccessful tries he succeeded to put her into shaming imitation of a healing trance. Stasis might be a better word, he thought, while trying to banish his doubts. With a last glance to Padmé he started to run toward the two fighting figures.

* * *

Time passes and the children become more and more restless. The prisoner understands them to well. It is their missing bond, it is the missing connection to the Force, and it is the never ending darkness, the uncertainty. He has tried to reach the Emperor twice again, while carefully following the strands of their broken bond. He is getting closer, but not close enough.

It has been most likely a week now that they are here. He has counted the incoming meals quite carefully to keep track of the time. He feels their unease and desperation in the Force. He gently takes Leia's hand and reaches out for Luke.

"Come, I want to show you something", he says.

He is going to do something he never has done before. The cell seems to be void of the Force, but it is not. It has taken him months to get behind the reason for the unease that overcomes him every time he is close to the invisible door of the cell. It is the Force itself. Well, a twisted, ill-bred dark version of it. It is the signature of the Sith Lord himself, who is called the Emperor nowadays. He takes their hands and guides them to the cold durasteel door.

"Feel", he tells them gently, while he is trying to restrain himself from being repelled and putting as much distance as possible between himself and that blasted door. Their small hands touch the wall. They wait, after a while he feels their impatience in the Force. He searches out their Force signature and give them a small nudge into the direction of the dark tentacles of the Sith's Force.

_Frustration._ He chuckles and gently leads then.

_Recognition!_ They feel it, it is tiny, but there, the Force! And it feels like their father's signature. They are eager and try to hold on. They push but it gets harder and harder to hold on_._ But there is pain. _Pain. Pain. Pain, so much pain. Why is their father hurting them?_

_Let go_, calls a gentle voice trough the Force. No, they can't let go, they will be alone again, but it hurts. _PAIN. PAIN!_

The Light Force of the prisoner cuts forcefully their connection. Like puppets without their puppeteer the children crumble to the ground. The prisoner picks them up shaking and stumbles to the bunk, where he collapses with his fragile freight. He puts them to sleep with the help of a Force suggestion and slumps back against the wall. It takes a while until his body stops trembling. He shifts his position and slips into an uneasy meditation. He calls out with vigor, but there is nothing, no answer, only darkness.

* * *

The stroke should have cut Anakin into pieces, or severed a limp, depending on how quick his reaction would have been. But instead of the victory the Sith had been sure of, there was this damned Jedi Master who just did not have the decency to die. Obi-wan smiled grimly as he perceived the thoughts Sidious broadcasted.

The Sith screamed in rage and brought him to his knees. Obi-wan rolled to the right side as the Sith Lord lunged again towards him. Fortunately Anakin had used the short break to gather his senses and started to attack again. He did not greet his old Master. He did not say a thing. There was only grim determination in his face.

"They are still", Obi-wan parried a sly attack of Sidious, "alive."

His old padawan nodded shortly. They had fought so often that Obi-wan had lost count. They had been one of the most formidable teams of the Order, but now it was different. The Jedi Master felt Anakin descending into the Darkness. It embraced his friend like an old lover, like a mother a wayward child that finally came home. Obi-wan was torn between his instincts, the crying Light Side of the Force, that screamed him to back down from the unyielding darkness and his urge to protect his friend, his brother, his family.

"No", he screamed as Sidious once again broke through the defense of Anakin. Raw emotion, desperation.

The Sith Lord cackled. "Beautiful, come little Jedi, come to the Dark side", his Force whispered mockingly.

But Obi-wan did not hear him. _Calm,_ whispered something in his mind. _Calm. Protect the innocent lives._ This voice was reassuring. _Annihilate the Darkness,_ screamed another part. Later much later Obi-wan would understand that this also was the Force. The Light Force that was as torn as he was between defending life and defending itself from the Darkness that threatened to engulf it. _Calm,_ whispered the Force again. The battle inside of his head stopped, but it was not over yet, only postponed.

* * *

Time passes. The children have not tried again to reach out to the Force. The prisoner has to coax them into eating. He plays with them games he did not even know he would remember. He is careful to not lose himself in these memories of lighter days. He tells them stories; he walks down these hidden memories that have stayed buried for so long.

He does his best, but this is not enough- it was never enough, wasn't it? He asks himself in his mind bitterly. They are wasting away in front of his eyes and he can do nothing about it. He feels like screaming, he feels helpless rage. He feels emotions he has never felt during his whole captivity. And to his shame, he has to admit that these emotions give him the strength to call out again and again harder than he ever did before. He is pushing the boundaries of his cell. But all he gets as an answer is nothingness and then: rage, undiluted ire descends upon him and nourishes the defense of his cell. The Force of the Sith becomes even more suppressing and Leia and Luke are barely awake anymore. The prisoner stops fighting, hoping that the pressure lessens.

He hopes in vain.

* * *

Rage. Raw in its purest form. Ire and behind this all: fear.

The Emperor cannot feel his children in the Force anymore. At first their connection had been subdued, but now- there is nothing. Another wave of rage overcomes him and he can just barely prevent himself from shaking or strangulating one of his subordinates. Just now, after he asked, his incompetent underlings back in Coruscant have told him, that his children are missing. That they are searching for Leia and Luke since more than a week, that there is no sign anywhere. Fools. In the back of his mind he feels the prisoner fighting and clawing, nearly shattering the mechanisms that subdue him. The Emperor sends a major part of his ire through their hidden connection and fortifies the cell's defense. The prodding stops all suddenly. There is an eerie calmness at the other side of the bond. The Emperor ignores it. He has to find his children.

* * *

The girl is cold, to cold and the boy reminds him of Hoth. The prisoner holds them close, he tries to warm them. He circumvents the constraints of the cell carefully and uses the Force to put them into a trance. Still their life Force is dwindling. He tries to lessen the effect of the cell, but it does not help he is only prolonging their , he holds on, but he does not call out anymore for he fears to further anger the Emperor who does not want to listen.

Time passes antagonizingly slow. Three meals stay untouched, until Leia and Luke wake again. The cold never leaves the small bodies, but the children are clinging to their young lives and so the prisoner fights. He tells them more stories. He tells them about spaceships, about the caves of Ileum, he even tells them about the annoying, never-ending, fruitless sessions of the Senate their mother complained about. Sometimes, when the words leave him, he starts humming insanely. He does not care anymore for the few reminders of his sanity. Several other meals- the prisoner lost count- stay untouched. The children do not listen anymore, so he has ran out of words. He rocks their ice cold bodies gently, feeding them his life Force. He will try it one last time. He gathers he strength.

* * *

"Vader", the Emperor clutches his head. Desperation floods trough his and the prisoner's bond.

"Vader", there again, the prisoner is calling him.

The prisoner is begging. He never did that before. They both know that it would not change anything. It is the old, long shattered bond the prisoner is using. Had it been another day, the Emperor would have been elated, but now he just wants to get off the ship that finally entered the atmosphere of Coruscant. He wants to find his children. He does not relent; he ignores the prisoner's call. Their bond becomes silent again.

The Emperor stars at the console, checking again the parameters, driving and navigating the ship faster than anybody would ever dare to.

"VADER", screams a voice in his head and sends him to his knees.

"Anakin…please", whispers a faint echo.

The Emperor gets up again. Carefully he extends his senses and finally reaches out to the prisoner. He does not feel him anymore. Good, at least the security of the cell did its work. The ship lands and just out of habit he reaches out again for the three Force sensitives he cares for. He senses a small spark- the prisoner- that is slowly fading. The Force swirls around the Emperor and tells him to look.

* * *

It was deadly dance, different from all the other times Obi-wan had fought the Dark. It was not the speed or the intensity of the battle that startled the Jedi, it was the feeling of utter rightness that rang in the Dark side of the Force. It was the thousand years old fight between the Master and the Apprentice. Obi-wan doubted that any Jedi had ever participated in this ultimate struggle which in his mind was a travesty. And yet here he was, guarding and protecting the back of the Apprentice who charged at his Master.

The Jedi battled the desperation in his mind, when had he failed? What had he done to turn Anakin into the arms of this monster? The doubts in his head nearly cost him an arm, as he rolled to the left, watching detached, as Sidious blade cut through the rock, he had been standing on. Strike, parry, parry, strike. Usually Obi-wan would immerse himself into the Force and let him guide. But the Force was running wild. It was chaos. Blood was rushing in his ears; from afar he could hear the Sith Lord taunting his old Padawan. "No", he wanted to scream, but the words did not leave his throat. The Force shifted once again. Anakin's transition into the Darkness was complete.

* * *

He does not care- that is what he tells himself. The prisoner does not matter. The children are more important now. He DOES NOT CARE.

The Force nudges him impatiently again. He hesitates. He does not care about the prisoner and the prisoner does not care about himself or the Emperor either. Then why had the prisoner called out? Why indeed? Something must have happened. The Emperor still remembers the first months. The prisoner had lost his will to live at the beginning of the captivity. Only by blackmailing and sending him pictures of fellow Jedi that were tortured when the prisoner stopped eating had made him more compliant. The Emperor lands his ship.

"Damn you, old friend", he whispers.

He does care. The Force nudges him again. He finally relents and reaches out as he hastens out of the ship, leaving the hangar and his stupefied troopers behind. Still he can't feel his children through the bond. But then, as he nears the Palace, there, there is something weak. A very weak signature. He feels them again, but instead of elation dread fills his heart. They are fading away. His children are dying.

There, he senses another faint presence and follows the Force. He hastens down the corridors and barely registers where his feet are leading him. Then he comes to an abrupt halt in front of a door. The floor is empty, it usually is. And the door of the cell is closed as it has been for the last four years, no it has not. There is a disturbance in the Force's signature. Someone has tried to open it. No, somebody has opened it.

He furrows his brows and unlocks the door easily. His eyes have to adapt to the darkness. At first there is nothing he can see. But then, as he steps further into the room, he recognizes a large figure in the bunk, which is curled around something. The arms of the prisoner are protectively wrapped around two balls. There are faint waves of the Light Force that swirl around the smaller figures. The signature clearly belongs to the prisoner who is sustaining his two charges that are huddled closely to him.

The Emperor needs only a few seconds to understand, that this are his children. Carefully he entangles them from the prisoner's grasp, lifts them up and carries them out of the cell. He feels the instant effect, as his children's breathing deepens and their Life Force starts to radiate again. The Emperor looks back and cannot help to wonder. The prisoner should not have been able to use the Force at all. And yes, he still cares about the Jedi. The door closes silently again. The troopers and people living in the Imperial Palace try not to stare too much, as they observe the Emperor who is carrying his two children followed by the floating form of the unconscious prisoner.

* * *

The Dark Force sang. It was happy. It danced around Anakin, guided him. It swirled and seemed to laugh. Finally someone was worthy; finally it had found its Chosen One. Time seemed to slow down. Sidious did not sense the shift within the Force. Neither did Anakin. Only Obi-wan could feel it. The Dark side was overwhelming, even with shielding he felt like drowning.

_Look! Yes!_ The Force could not contain its excitement anymore.

_Now!_ Obi-wan blocked reflexively another strike of Sidious lightsaber. This move had left the Sith open. Anakin attacked. Sidious hand was severed, while still holding his weapon. Before he could react a second strike of Anakin sliced through his chest. He lost balance and fell down, down with a scream on his lips he vanished within the lava.

The Apprentice had won, the Master had died.

A storm wave went through the Dark side of the Force, looking for its new Master, connecting to its Chosen One. _Finally!_ Passion. Hate. Ire.

Obi-wan stood still and looked at his old Padawan. _Kill him!_ Screamed a voice in his head. Was this the Force? Was this Master Yoda? He stepped next to Anakin and looked into his eyes. The Darkness was searching for an outlet. It was barely contained. It needed to lash out, such was its nature.

Obi-wan looked into the sick red eyes of his friend. There were many questions he wanted to ask his old Padawan, but the negotiator stayed silent. They were both tired, restless und wounded. And then he whispered those three words: "I failed you."

Anakin understood. They had sent his old Master to kill him. He moved his blade as he was anticipating an attack. But Obi-wan just deactivated his weapon and threw it to Anakin feet.

"Kill me", he said. First there was the burning of the Sith's lightsaber, then it was replaced by blue cracking lightnings. Pain exploded.

And then: nothing but darkness.

* * *

Surprisingly and fortunately it does not take long until the children are roaming again through the halls of the Imperial Palace. Two days pass before the prisoner becomes aware. He does not feel the heavy burden of his cell suppressing his connection to the Force. But there is another dark presence next to him. He feels numb and lost. He does not reach out. Confusion is broadcasted. The presence seems to hesitate first, but then there is a warm, humanoid hand touching his hair comfortingly. The prisoner leans unconsciously into the touch. He baths in the warmth. Children? He asks faintly. The hand pets him reassuringly. The prisoner relaxes and slips into sleep.

* * *

The Emperor feels the prisoner stirring. He looks down. The Jedi awakes slowly. His Jedi. HIS_. Yes, ours, ours alone_, whispers the Darkness around him. The prisoner does not open his eyes, but the Emperor senses the soft, distant question in the Force. They are fine, he sends back reassuringly, the Jedi drifts away again.

* * *

They escaped again, granted this time it has not been as easy as before, but it has only taken two tries to get out of their room. Luke chuckles and grins at his sister. She gives him thumbs up. His smile broadens. They have just succeeded to circumvent their fathers barrier, that has kept them confined. Leia giggles. It has not been easy at first, but then, then Luke has had this idea to play the game the prisoner has played with them. It had taken time, but as their father had grounded them, they had plenty of it.

Now they are in front of the door. Luke hesitates. He wants to see their savior, but at the same time, the man has admitted, that he is a Jedi. Jedi are evil. All they do is to hurt. He rubs unconsciously the scar he usually hides under sleeves of his tunic.

"He is different", argues his sister.

He nods. He knows that. This Jedi is theirs. Leia projects agreement. They are going to keep him. There is this strange connection between them and the man who lies on the bed in front of them. The children creep slowly into the room. The med droid has left. They are alone with the prisoner. He seemed so tall within the cell, but now they see, that he is not as tall as their father. He is older and the red beard that has tickled them seems shorter too. Someone must have cut it recently. And there is the collar around his neck. It makes the Force of the prisoner even more different. It is somehow caged and feels funny. They curiously tap into the Jedi's Force. Surprisingly it answers, while circumventing the collars restriction and wrapping itself subconsciously around the children. They climb into the bed and fall asleep. It feels save.

* * *

Her Master had forsaken her. Huge fish-like, blue eyes starred brokenly into the space. For a second time in her short life all was lost. She had not reacted, when the stormtroopers had finally found her. The bond was severed. She was alone. The Force suppressing collar was a relief. It cut her off from the pain and blocked a part of the emptiness. She had heard many stories about what happened to captured Jedi. Strangely she did not care, nor did she bother to listen the whispering of the Clones or the Darkness that approached her, when they entered the main ship.

A metal hand that touched her shoulder brought her back into the present. She did not bother to look up.

"It seems that the Jedi has displaced his Padawan", said a voice.

A sob escaped her throat. She still felt the emptiness. Why did it not work? Wasn't that collar supposed to cut her off from the Force?

"Do you have a stronger collar?", she asked.

The hand left her shoulder and grabbed her chin. All she saw were these yellow eyes that flashed dangerously, promising pain and suffering.

"I don't care", she whispered.

The Sith chuckled. She felt him reaching out. Dark tendrils invaded her mind.

"I think, I'll keep you", he murmured after a while.

The Emperor loosened and removed the collar. She screamed, as the emptiness hit her again.

* * *

Darth Vader is not a happy man. It takes all his self-restraint to not strangulate the governess of his children or to destroy the droids that are supposed to look after the twins. Leia and Luke have vanished again. Impatiently he taps into the Force. He senses them two levels below him. Still his anxiety does not abate. His old Master is in the same room.

He enters in hurry and stops in his tracks. They are fine. The prisoner is still asleep, the children lay on top the Jedi. Light Force originating from his old Master curls protectively around Leia and Luke. He cannot remember if he has ever seen the Jedi so relaxed. He still does not understand how the prisoner is able to circumvent the newer, upgraded version of his Force collar.

Meanwhile the twins start to stir. Leia blinks and rubs sleepily her eyes. Luke hugs the Jedi's arm closer still obvious to their father's presence. His sister looks fearfully to him. The Emperor raises his eye brow. Luke wakes up slowly. He feels the stubbornness broadcasted by his sister and the barely concealed rage of their father. He holds onto the prisoner's bright presence, his small body is trembling. The Force signature of their father resembles the suffocating darkness of the cell. Leia moves unconsciously closer to the Jedi.

The Emperor stops and relents. His children are afraid of him. The realization hits him hard. He shields his emotions and after some coaxing the twins come closer, leaving the protecting tendrils of his old Master's Force.

"You are grounded for another week", he tells them.

Luke tries at least to look ashamed; his head-strong daughter has the nerve to pout.

"We would not have to explore, if it was not so boring", she explains in a very precocious manner.

"It was never boring with him", offers Luke shyly. They stop both in their justification.

"Can't we keep him?", the twins finally ask simultaneously.

It is not the first time that Vader begrudgingly feels respect for his old Master. Has he ever been so…he cannot even find the right words. The children wait. Well Luke waits; Leia fiddles impatiently. The Emperor sighs.

"I don't intend to let a fully trained Jedi Master roam free through the Galaxy, so yes Master Kenobi isn't going to anywhere."

The children laugh happily. Suddenly Luke stops and is close to tears. The twins exchange looks and after a short silent conversation understanding dawns in Leia's face.

"But he said Kenobi is bad, Kenobi is a traitor." The Emperor freezes.

"The Jedi ordered him to kill his old Padawan, they made him choose between a friend and his duty. He would have done anything for them, except for this. So from the Jedi's point of view", Vader sneers, "one could say he betrayed his duty. But tell me, if someone told you to kill your brother or sister, would you do it?"

Leia and Luke look horror stricken at this thought. They shake vigorously their heads in denial.

"Jedi are evil!", exclaims Luke after a while.

"Except for him", adds Leia and wiggles closer to the comforting warmth of the sleeping form.

"Yes", whispers their father in cold fury, "Jedi are evil." His eyes change to bloody red, but this time neither Leia nor Luke shy away.

* * *

She would have never thought she would end up here. Hidden in a part of the Imperial Palace was the newly founded Sith Academy. Students, younger than her, that could have also been younglings at the New Base of the Jedi Order, were trained in the dark arts of the Sith.

She was told to reach out to the Dark Side of the Force. She was told to use her anger and hate at her abandonment to grasp to power and the beauty of this foreign entity. But she could not. It felt wrong. It felt cold, so cold. It did not chase away the emptiness in her head. All she wanted was to fade into the background, to vanish. She wanted it to stop. She wanted back this strange device that had cut her off from the Force.

But nobody cared. NOBODY EVER CARED. Nobody cared that the Darkness was burning her. Nobody cared that her mind was close to shattering. It hurt, it hurt so much. The Mon Calamarian girl huddled closer into the corner of the Academy's training hall. The children around her were laughing, taunting her, burning her with training light sabers. Why did nobody care?

* * *

_Nobody ever cares_, reverberates it through the Force. Obi-wan Kenobi wakes at once. His eyes are wide open. He closes them again, quickly. The light is blinding him. He rips a part of his tunic and covers them, tying the streak behind his head. This is better, much better. He breathes deeply in and out. In and out. The desperation still rings in the Force. Something tells him, he should go there. Someone is calling him.

His steps are unsteady, he barely registers the faint signature thanks to the Force Collar his still wearing. For the first time in years he is able to feel something else than the oppressing presence of the Emperor's cell. He stops in front of the door and immerses himself into the Force. Easy, just too easy to open it. Obi-wan travels further down the corridor. _I am coming_, he hums into the Force.

* * *

Suddenly the strikes stop. She covers her sensitive eyes, but the expected blows don't blister her hands further. Strong arms wrap around her. She stiffens.

"Hush", whispers a gentle voice, "Hush."

She panics. Is this a new kind of torture the Siths wanted to test? What if, what… "

Hush", repeated the voice, "Hush. Emotion, yet peace."

She does not feel peace, but well she does not feel anything anymore. But this, this is better than the darkness.

"Ignorance, yet knowledge."

But it hurts so much, she does not want to know, she does not… who does this being thinking, it is? Rage fills her.

"Passion, yet serenity."

It is not fair, why did her Master left her at the mercy of the Sith. With a crystal clarity she understands, he has forsaken her. He left her. He betrayed her. There will be no going back.

"Chaos, yet harmony."

These arms feel good. They are like a rock in her raging see of emotions.

"Death, yet Force."

The old bond is dead. For all she knows the Jedi think she is dead, they left her to die. She slumps lifelessly against the warm humanoid body. It feels save, saver than her Master ever felt. It feels good. She reaches out into the Force and is welcomed.

* * *

Obi-wan feels the shivering body and holds it close. The child reaches out and he welcomes it, trying to sooth the hurt, trying to heal at least some of the wounds. They meet and connect instantly. The light Force sings through the halls of the Imperial Palace as they bond. It laughs and laughs, this is utter happiness, two souls finding each other. A webbed hand traces Obi-wan's face and nestles to loosen the tie that covers his eyes.

* * *

The man holds his eyes closed, even after she got rid of the cloth covering them. Her hands are trembling, as she let them wander over his face. She nudges him through the Force. And then he slowly opens them. They are grey, no blue with a tint of green, like water, like the sea. They are warm, lacking the coldness of her former Master. They are gentle, they understand.

_Padawan._ Whispers a voice through the Force, but no one except for her can hear it.

_Padawan._ This word holds wondering and joy.

"Padawan", croaks the man who stands in front of her, his arms still wrapped around her body.

* * *

He has a Padawan, Force help him. From the corner of his eyes he can see the younglings he has thrown to the floor in order to get to the Mon Calamarian girl. It feels right, but all he brought to her will be new suffering. There is no way, the Emperor will ever accept this.

* * *

His old Master has escaped the infirmary. Vader curses as he follows the trace the Jedi left behind, yet it does not seem, that he tried to escape. Curious. He reaches the upper level of the Palace, as he feels a shift in the Force. Pure, innocent laughter rings through it. The Sith closes his eyes and inhales. He has forgotten how sweet the Light side of the Force can taste.

_It is ours._ Susurrates the Dark side, and he nods unconsciously, theirs.

* * *

She recognizes his face. At the base they had listed him under the Fallen. Jedi Master Kenobi. "I am Airyn", she tells him softly.

* * *

His hunt for Kenobi ends in the training hall of his aspiring, new generation of Sith. The acolytes are surrounding two figures, his old Master and the Jedi Padawan he had captured months ago.

He steps into the cycle and searches the eyes of Kenobi. He feels the odd connection between the Mon Calamari girl and his old Master.

"Really?", he asks, "you break out of your confines just to find yourself a new Padawan?"

The Emperor chuckles coldly. A sad smile graces the Jedi's face. He carefully lets go of the girls trembling form. He stands now directly in front of the Emperor.

_Yes, come near, come nearer_, murmurs the Dark Force.

Suddenly Darth Vader gets the same feeling he had more than four years ago on Mustafar. Something will happen.

* * *

Obi-wan looks into the eyes of Vader, no Anakin, somewhere there is still Anakin. This is Anakin, but this is also Darth Vader, the Sith, the Emperor. But his enemy? This man is many things, but not his enemy, never. But it is not the nature of the Sith to accept this. Obi-wan feels it deep in his bones. No words will ever reassure Anakin. A Sith strives to dominate, to control.

But he has that already, hasn't he? He has surrendered, yes, but he hasn't submitted. Understanding dawns the Jedi Master. It is easier than he thought; his knees bend nearly on their own. He sinks gracefully to the floor and lowers his head.

* * *

The Emperor has expected many things, but not this. His old Master is on his knees, in front of him, acknowledging him as his superior. He is finally submitting. The Mon Calamari girl kneels down beside Obi-wan and mirrors her Master.

_Ours_, rejoices the Dark Side of the Force. _OURS._ Yes, his, strangely both of them. Theirs to keep. _THEIRS._

The Sith's hand touches the head of the kneeling Jedi. "You are mine", he growls possessively. _MINE. OURS_, he screams together with the dark entity that engulfs them.

* * *

Many parasecs away on a small planet in the outer rim the Jedi feel the shift in the Force and they cry out as they feel the schism of their Order.


End file.
